LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The well-traveled Bellarmine University baseball team will play four games in town this week.

Technically, Bellarmine (2-14) will hit the road for its midweek game, but the destination is basically a bike ride away from campus as the Knights will take on the University of Louisville (11-4) at 11 a.m. (ET) Wednesday at Jim Patterson Stadium.

Bellarmine will follow by opening ASUN play with a three-game series against Central Arkansas (5-9) at Knights Field. First pitches are slated for 2 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

ABOUT LOUISVILLE
Louisville was Bellarmine's first-ever opponent at the Division-I level. The Knights and Cardinals opened 2021 with a three-game series at Jim Patterson Stadium. Louisville, ranked sixth at the time, swept the series by scores of 5-1, 13-1 and 8-3. The Cardinals lead the all-time series 43-29 as the two programs met frequently through 1993 before a long hiatus prior to last season's revival.

According to U of L's website, Louisville's current offense may be off to its best start in Coach Dan McDonnell's 16-year tenure. Heading into today's home game against Northern Kentucky, the Cardinals have more runs (152), triples (15), home runs (25), total bases (312) and a higher slugging percentage (.589) through 15 games than any other Louisville team under McDonnell.
 
Louisville currently ranks eighth nationally averaging 10.1 runs per game. The Cardinals also lead the country in triples and rank fourth in slugging percentage, seventh in batting average and ninth in runs. Louisville is also top 20 in home runs, on-base percentage and hits.

The game will be televised on ACC Network Extra, with radio coverage on 93.9 The Ville.

ABOUT CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Central Arkansas is a new member of the ASUN this season, with the Bears coming from the Southland Conference. UCA is scheduled to host Oral Roberts today before traveling to meet ASUN West counterpart Bellarmine and enters the week behind a 13-10 home win Sunday over UT Martin.

Starting pitcher Tyler Cleveland was an ASUN Preseason All-Conference selection. He's not had a decision this season in four starts but carries a 4.42 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 18.1 innings pitched. Logan Gilbertson has made three starts and is 1-2 with a 4.61 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 13.2 innings pitched.

RJ Pearson is Central Arkansas' leading hitter with a .316 batting average. Connor Emmet has smacked a team-high three homers, while Trey Harris has driven in a team-best nine runs.

BELLARMINE NOTES

• To say that Bellarmine is road-tested entering its game with Louisville is an understatement. Including the contest with the Cardinals, BU will have played 16 of its first 17 games away from Knights Field. Bellarmine opened the year with neutral-site games against Virginia and NJIT in Gardner-Webb's Jerry Bryson Classic; U of L represents BU's 14th true road game.
• Bellarmine has played a loaded schedule thus far before even stepping foot on the field against traditional power Louisville. The Knights have already faced two nationally ranked teams and four that made the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Virginia, NJIT, Southeast Missouri State and Presbyterian all went dancing last season, while Virginia and Purdue are the two ranked opponents.
• After going deep in the series finale against Purdue, Matt Higgins moved into sole possession of sixth place on the program's all-time home run list. It was the 27th career homer for the senior left fielder. Higgins is sixth on the career RBI list with 139 and tied for 10th in career doubles with 44 after clubbing three against Purdue.
• Higgins' homer at Purdue cleared the batter's eye behind the 408-foot center-field wall. A Purdue athletics staff member working the game said this of the blast: "The HR to CF was likely the longest homer ever hit in a game at Alexander (Field)."
• Senior third baseman Colin Bertsch, a transfer from Southwestern Illinois College, is on a team-high 10-game hitting streak. That ties senior utility Jacob Mulcahy for the team's longest of the season.
• Mulcahy has reached base in a Bellarmine season-high 14 consecutive games.

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